BC Human Rights Tribunal finds landlord harassed, discriminated against tenant because she had a baby

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — A woman who was harassed and discriminated against by her landlord because she had a baby has won her case at the BC Human Rights Tribunal.

Germaine Valdez left the one-bedroom apartment in April of 2019–less than two weeks after she delivered her son.

The tribunal found that the landlord, Meltem Bahcheli, began pressuring and harassing Valdez to move immediately after she gave birth by caesarean section.

“The birth triggered Ms. Bahcheli to begin what would become a torrent of accusations that the Valdezes had lied to her and misrepresented themselves. Over the next few weeks, she refused to meet and deal with the Valdezes in a professional way, threatened to start legal action against them and charge them sums of money for wasting her time, and insisted on frequent, uninterrupted access to their apartment at her own convenience,” reads the decision written by member Devyn Cousineau.

“I am satisfied that Ms. Bahcheli’s conduct over this period constituted harassment at a point when Mrs. Valdez was particularly vulnerable. The harassment was directly connected to the birth of Mrs. Valdez’s child.”

The decision points to text messages where Bahcheli refers to Valdez as selfish, a liar, argumentative, a criminal, and a nuisance to other tenants.

The tribunal found the landlord discriminated against Valdez on the grounds of sex and family status, which are both protected.

The decision points out that a landlord can impose occupancy limits on a rental unit, but they be adopted in good faith and can’t be imposed arbitrarily.

Meltem Bahcheli must now pay Valdez nine thousand dollars as compensation for the “injury to her dignity, feelings, and self‐respect.”

“Mrs. Valdez was particularly vulnerable during the discrimination. This was her first tenancy since moving out of her parents’ house. She had just given birth by c‐ section. She was recovering from the physical effects of that surgery and adjusting to life with a new baby. Her need for stable and secure housing was particularly acute,” the decision reads.

“She felt useless. She testified that a mother should be taking care of their kids and providing their safety, but she failed to do that. She felt she had failed her family by not providing them with a secure place to live – a feeling, I might add, which was preyed upon and fueled by Ms. Bahcheli’s message that “your lies cost your family a home”. This sense of failure was exacerbated by having to return to her parents’ home only months after leaving it for the first time.”

The tribunal also ordered the landlord to compensate the family for moving expenses and other costs associated with the abrupt end to the tenancy.

Editor’s note: Since this article was published, Meltem Bahcheli has contacted NEWS 1130 to say she disagrees with the findings of the tribunal.